Photograph of Last Surviving Veteran of WWII Marching Alone on Memorial Day Parade: Facts

Story:

Walking alone on Memorial Day, the last surviving veteran of WW2 battle group.

Other Versions

1. Last veteran of his WWII battle group marching alone in Memorial Day Parade.

2. Last veteran of his World War Two (WWII) battle group marching alone in Victory Day Parade. How many people will ‘share’ this hero?

Image about Photograph of Last Surviving Veteran of WWII Marching Alone on Memorial Day Parade — Photograph of Last Surviving Veteran of WWII Marching Alone on Memorial Day Parade

Fact Check:

A picture in heavy circulation online for years claims to show a heart touching moment when a last surviving Veteran of his World War Two (WWII) battle group is seen Crying and Marching Alone on Memorial Day Parade. As detailed below, the claims are mixture of hoax and facts.

The picture has been doing rounds online in many languages; it’s been shared on Russian social media sites and garnered a similar heartwarming reaction for years. It has also been a popular Facebook meme claiming that the man is the last surviving member of his World War Two battle group. Various users were also confused about the nationality of the veteran, calling him as American, Australian and British. Considering the tricolor flag hanging in the background and the Russian medals in the uniform, the veteran is Russian and the scene in fact points a Victory Day, an annual holiday commemorating the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in 1945.

Picture of Victory Day Veteran Waving Hand — Victory Day Veteran accepting flowers from a well-wisher

The picture of crying veteran on Victory Day was taken by photographer Aleksandr Petrosyan on 9 May 2007, on the Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg, Russia. The name identity of the veteran, however, is not known, and it is also not clear whether he is the last surviving veteran of his WWII battle group. Notably, the photographer said that the veteran wasn’t marching alone or crying because of the battle memories, he was upset that he was behind the column with other veterans and could not catch up with them. In couple of other pictures shared later, you can see the veteran accepting flowers from a well-wisher and waving hand at the crowd.